A teacher who was shot while tackling and disarming a student at an Indiana school said Monday that his swift decisions “were the only acceptable actions” to save his seventh-grade classroom.

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Jason Seaman spoke publicly for the first time since the shooting Friday, thanking the Noblesville, Indiana, community for support, praising a 13-year-old who was also shot and urging everyone to think about her as she recovers.

Seaman is credited with stopping a student who entered his Noblesville West Middle School classroom with a gun. The 29-year-old teacher was shot but not seriously injured.

“I want to make it clear that my actions on that day, in my mind, were the only acceptable actions I could have done given the circumstances,” said Seaman, a former college football player.

“I deeply care for my students and their well-being. That is why I did what I did that day,” he said.

Seaman spoke for just a few minutes and declined to answer questions from reporters.

A student, Ella Whistler, was also shot.

“Her courage and strength at such a young age is nothing short of remarkable,” Seaman said. “We all should continue to keep her in our minds as she continues to recover.”

Her family has said she is in critical but stable condition. But school Principal Stacey Swan said she’s improving.

Seventh-grader Ethan Stonebraker said the accused shooter was acting suspiciously when he walked into the room while the class was taking a test on Friday. He said science teacher Jason Seaman likely averted a catastrophe.

“Our science teacher immediately ran at him, swatted a gun out of his hand and tackled him to the ground,” Stonebraker said. “If it weren’t for him, more of us would have been injured for sure.”

Stonebraker told ABC News that Seaman threw a basketball at the shooter and ran toward the bullets as screaming students sought cover behind a table.